Cal Poly's Dominique Johnson to join Minnesota Vikings

Former Cal Poly wide receiver Dominique Johnson told The Tribune he was flying to Minnesota on Tuesday to finalize an undrafted free agent deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

Unable to sign while the NFL remained in a lockout and negotiations were ongoing to form a new collective bargaining agreement between players and owners, Johnson had been training on his own in Phoenix, anxiously awaiting news of Monday’s labor peace.

Johnson was not selected in April’s draft after a senior season at Cal Poly where he led the run-heavy triple-option Mustangs offense with 47 catches for 634 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Johnson had more than twice as many catches and three times as many receiving yards as any other Cal Poly player.

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In a two-year Mustangs career completed after transferring from UCLA, the Moreno Valley native totaled 90 catches for 1,375 yards and 10 touchdowns in a Cal Poly uniform.

Johnson’s signature game came during 2009 in a 50-48 loss to South Dakota where he caught 13 passes for 273 yards and set a new program single-game record with five TD catches.

The man whose record he broke, Ramses Barden, remains under contract with the New York Giants after they drafted him in the third round in 2009.Barden’s former Cal Poly teammate, linebacker Mark Restelli, will finally get to report to his NFL team for the first time.

Restelli, who played two seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL, signed a futures contract with the Miami Dolphins prior to the lockout. The Dolphins were reportedly looking at him as a strong safety prospect and possible special teams contributor at the time.

Marty Mohamed, the reigning Great West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, also went undrafted from Cal Poly following this past season.

Mohamed, a middle linebacker, had a team-high 88 tackles to go with three interceptions and a sack in his last season in San Luis Obispo.

Mohamed signed and played one game with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL before being released in June.

Courtney Brown, a former Cal Poly cornerback who was drafted by the Cowboys in 2007 and spent the past season on the Giants’ roster with Barden, is an unrestricted free agent able to sign immediately.

A familiar name to Cal Poly fans, Southern Utah receiver Tysson Poots, also signed an undrafted contract Tuesday, joining the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens made headlines earlier in the day after reportedly informing veteran receiver Derrick Mason and injury-plagued tight end Todd Heap that they’ll soon be released.

Poots, the Great West Offensive Player of the Year this past season, had some of his best games against the Mustangs. Most notably, he had a record-setting day during Cal Poly’s 69-41 home win over the Thunderbirds in 2008, when he caught 16 passes for 246 yards and a score.

The Great West had one other undrafted signee Tuesday: North Dakota defensive tackle Ty Boyle, who came to terms with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

One former prep star from the area also signed an undrafted contract, as Lompoc native Vai Taua will head to the Buffalo Bills.

Taua, a star running back at Nevada, graduated from Cabrillo High in 2006.